Current_Issue.tar.gz - The Mad Scientist Starter Kit

There's something about the Cool Projects issue that always makes
me think of science fiction. In my youth, I used to tape electric motors to
popsicle sticks to form makeshift propellers on fanciful airplanes. Of
course, I also used to make shocking devices from the ignition coils of old
abandoned cars, so it's not as if I were terribly innocent in my
tomfoolery. This month, although we don't have any stun guns to fend
off bully attacks, we do have some extremely fun and interesting projects
bound to inspire those creative juices of youth.

Anton Borisov starts off the issue with an interview with Alberto Broggi.
Alberto is designing a car that will drive from Italy to China. That may
sound insignificant, but it's important to realize I'm
being literal. The car itself will be driving from Italy to China. The
best my car does on its own is veer left of center if I start to fall
asleep. Alberto is hoping to create computer systems to stop needless
accidents by putting tireless computers behind the wheel. One part
terrifying and one part awesome, it's a project I'm
excited to read about.

If the thought of computer-controlled vehicles stresses you out, you might
want to speak with Kyle Rankin. This month, he shows off his Linux-powered
refrigerator, which he happens to use to brew beer. I've never
had Kyle's beer, but knowing Kyle, the recipe is probably open
sourced. He most likely would give us all the gruesome details if we asked.

Although Kyle may be using Linux to take over his fridge, the mad scientist in
me thinks he might be setting his scope too small. Perhaps taking over the
world with killer robots is more your line of thinking. If so,
read Bob Smith's article on controlling
robotic peripherals with Linux. It seems clear to me that criminal
masterminds would want to use Linux for their killer robot army, and with
Bob's article, your world takeover will be a bit easier.

Perhaps world domination and computer-driven cars are little more than
you're up for this month. That's fine, we need to save
something for next year's Cool Projects issue. Check out Mark
Teel's article on wview, a Linux-based program for communicating
with weather station devices. Although wview won't necessarily
enable you to control the weather, it might help a bit with predicting it.
Maybe if the local weatherman used Linux, he'd be correct about the
weather here in Michigan more often.

Do you like tinkering with Arduino boards? If so, Rob
Reilly's article on kst might tickle your fancy. Rob shows how
to make data plots with kst and a Linux machine. Or, perhaps you want to
roll your own firmware. If you have a compatible router (there are
quite a few), you can turn your off-the-shelf
router into a full-fledged server with OpenWrt. Mike Petullo shows how.

Finally, we have OSWALD. Don't confuse the cute name for WALL-E;
rather, the OSWALD unit is an open computing device developed at Oregon State
University. It was designed to get computer science students excited about
developing. With its unique open nature, students are able to bend OSWALD
to their whims and come up with creative new programming in an era when
students often feel all the cool innovations already have been invented.
Hopefully, OSWALD will change that.

If all this talk of gadgets, robots and death rays isn't really
your cup of tea, that's okay. We have our full lineup of columns
focusing on the things that keep us excited about Linux month after
month. Reuven M. Lerner continues telling us about using CouchDB. Mick Bauer
discusses transparent firewalls. Dave Taylor shows how to use signals in
shell scripts. Dirk Elmendorf has a few pages on smaller projects
you'll want to check out. And, of course, Bill and Kyle are at it
again. Whether you prefer rotating magnetic media or the newer
solid-state devices, it's always fun to see them battle
out their opinions in the Point/Counterpoint column.

As always, we have new product announcements, tech tips, and all
the other things you look forward to in Linux
Journal. In my part of
the world, summertime is well underway now, so perhaps I'll avoid
that hot sun by building a few projects at home. Hopefully, unlike in my
youth, I won't do dumb things like fill my basement with
chlorine gas. But, that's a story for another issue.

Shawn Powers is the Associate Editor for Linux
Journal. He's also the
Gadget Guy for LinuxJournal.com, and he has an interesting collection
of vintage Garfield coffee mugs. Don't let his silly hairdo fool you,
he's a pretty ordinary guy and can be reached via e-mail at
shawn@linuxjournal.com. Or, swing by the #linuxjournal IRC
channel on Freenode.net.

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